Grey: We're looking to respond

Jon Grey insists it is important Swansea City Under-18s bounce back from their FA Youth Cup exit when they face Aston Villa on Saturday (12.30pm).

The young Swans were knocked out of the cup on Wednesday after going down 2-0 against Fulham at Landore.

They had gone into the tie off the back of three straight wins in all competitions, and Grey admits he was frustrated the players did not build on their momentum.

But he has urged the Swans not to let their heads drop going into a busy period in the season.

“I was very disappointed with the performance of all the players that were involved,” the under-18s coach said. 

“We’ve performed really well over the last few weeks, so the players let themselves down really. We had a good chance to progress to the next round and possibly further.

“We started brightly and were on top for the first 15 minutes, but we started to panic in possession. We conceded from a set-piece and they defended very well from then on.

“We’ve got games coming thick and fast over the coming months, so we can’t dwell on the result for too long. We’re looking for the players to respond.”

The Swans will aim to do just that against Villa, who are without a win in seven matches in Premier League South and have lost five times in that run.

Grey has encouraged his players to pick up from where they left off in the league by recording a third straight win, but insists they cannot afford to take anything for granted against a highly regarded academy.

“Every single game is very competitive and they all provide difficult challenges, whether it be home or away,” he added.

“Villa are always a good side with some very good players. They have a huge tradition of producing players through their academy system.

“It’s another good test to see how far we’ve developed as a team and as individuals.

“We try to take confidence into every game and believe we can win. Hopefully, we can come away from Villa with three points.”